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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. cue — for pool
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. clip — for paper
  4. shower — rain
  5. game — a match
  6. track — a path
  7. clip — to cut
  8. track — a song
  9. clip — a video
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. stand — to bear
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. net — in sport
  15. game — wild animals
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. net — after costs
  18. pitch — completely
  19. cue — a signal
  20. shower — to wash
  21. cue — a hint
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. track — to keep track
  24. net — for catching

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com